What’s Everyone Upto This Weekend?

[jims-terrano]

Today it’s a area competition day for the youth organisation I’m part of so going down to cheer my lot on, great to see them compete and hopefully achieve.

Tomorrow I’ll be sleeping, I’m good at sleeping these days.

Got a 6 month check up at Hospital this week so getting a little apprehensive so for the next few days I’ll be trying to keep busy.

 

[solarman216]

I effd up, had it down as a Slindon Valley this Sunday but it is a Safari day instead, do not know if I will be able to prep the motor in time, lots to do, Rick

 

[elty001]

Starting the groundwork for installing a bigger pond.
Got the footings done last weekend so this weekend I want to get the wall built.

 

[FerdiNL]

Got my girlfriends parrents at our place for the weekend.
For now got myself away from the group to study for a training for my new job.

 

[RJL Services]

just fitted tow bar and electrics to my ldv cub which is actually a nissan serena with ldv badges recently bought it 2002 2.3d 48,000 miles one owner full service history and 6 monthly checks as it was a nhs care home vehicle with richo lift inthe back and unwin tracked seats:thumb2

 

[jims-terrano]

Starting the groundwork for installing a bigger pond.
Got the footings done last weekend so this weekend I want to get the wall built.

That would be interesting to see :thumbs

 

[elty001]

That would be interesting to see :thumbs

Will get some pictures tomorrow.
Not very exciting though:lol
Got the retaining wall done today and
Set up a temp pool and filter and moved the fish so I can get stuck into digging out the existing hole for the new pond.

 

[macabethiel]

Had to cancel all my plans.........grrrrrr.

We had plans for this weekend including a stop over in Chester this Sunday evening, Monday morning at Cheshire Oaks for the Missus nice lunch before we return home.

Had a really bad night on Friday struggling with coughing, wheezing & shortness of breath due to existing heart health issues probably aggravated by the high pollen count. Had to cancel everything due to lack of sleep and generally feeling rubbish.

Spent all Saturday afternoon asleep this has messed up my sleep pattern. Woke up this morning at 3.00 am have now given up trying to ge back to sleep! Just unfortunate timing for a bad episode. Will not take a nap today with the hope of getting a solid nights sleep tonight.

 

[elty001]

Some progress pictures for you Jim.
Old pond almost emptied.

 

[elty001]

Fish in the temp pond.

 

[jims-terrano]

Elty, I’d love a pond and last year started making plans for one which sounds similar to what you have said. Plans are on hold for the moment and to be honest with future plans it may get put on hold for another few years until we get our next home. Our current house is more of a family home and I’ve seen too many times people moving into a house and first thing they do is remove the pond often for safety of their children which is understandable.

 

[macabethiel]

Almost done the top pond edging Moat connects the two!

bottom pond by Ted Bagshaw, on Flickr



top pond by Ted Bagshaw, on Flickr

Finally finished the top pond edging just need to re-fit the path pavers. Should be good for a few years. Top pond is quite shallow maximum of about 3 feet, bottom pond is 5 ft 10 in in centre section, Moat is about 2 ft wide but only 18 inches deep. Had to cover the Moat to stop it choking off with weed.

 

[jims-terrano]

That looks great Ted:thumbs

 

[macabethiel]

That looks great Ted:thumbs

Thanks Jim, it started off as a small preformed glass fibre top pond. I enlarged it a few years later by adding the concrete lower pond & moat/stream. Initially the concrete was sealed with pond paint but after a couple of winters it kept loosing water.

I coated all the concrete with glass fibre tissue paper & resin - hardest part was waiting for the base to be dry enough to seal with resin. The filtration system was difficult to get it right it took a couple of seasons of trial & error to sustain nice clear water 11 months out of 12.

Filter system is a gravity fed pre-filter under double manhole cover using a plastic water header tank. Inlet is full size sewage pipe with a large gauze filter box to keep the fish out.

A sump type pump arrangement sits inside the header tank with standard 1.5" waste pipe that pumps through a T valve arrangement. About a third of the flow goes to a big filter box at the back of our garage via a Uv tube. Gravity return to lower pond. Prefilter is brush filters & standard plastic filter medium. The remaining main flow is straight back into the top pond.

Could not use a traditional pond liner as our then German Shepherd was a mad swimmer it would have punctured easily! It has been in place now for over 25 years - no leaks but had to do the edging several times before I hit on the present formula.